Nottingham

Image source, Opta

With the October international break now firmly in the rearview mirror, Opta Analyst, external have turned their attention to the next four Premier League fixtures.

Here, they have given each team a ranking between 80 and 100 and then found the average to determine to difficulty of the schedule.

Liverpool's opening seven matches were ranked the easiest in the league, but their upcoming four are the fourth-toughest in the division. They will face Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Brighton, with an average opponent strength of 91.4 before the next international break.

Fellow early pacesetters Arsenal also have challenging fixtures, playing Bournemouth, Liverpool, Newcastle and Chelsea with an average rating of 90.7, while Manchester City's next four against Wolves, Southampton, Bournemouth and Brighton are ranked the third-easiest by Opta.

Chelsea and Brighton have the second-hardest and third-hardest runs respectively, a real test given the promising starts for their new managers Enzo Maresca and Fabian Hurzeler.

At the other end of the table, Leicester - who recently secured their first win of the season against Bournemouth - have a chance to build with the easiest run in the division. They face Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Ipswich and Manchester United.

Fellow promoted side Ipswich will hope to pick up their first win of the season during a run of games that is ranked the fifth-easiest.

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport Researcher

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Monday's Premier League game against Crystal Palace (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• He reacted to receiving a three-game touchline ban: "I'm surprised. It's a big sanction but there's nothing we can do. It's not for me to judge. My job is to move forward and make sure the coaching staff are ready to help the team. We had a hearing, everything was normal. The sanction has been decided. Let's go."

• On the impact of not being on the touchline: "It's tough. We're going to be in permanent contact and what is important is that we prepare well and the players are ready to compete."

• On Morgan Gibbs-White receiving a one-match ban: "It's not nice when you don't have a player available. It's not in the right moment, he's still injured. Hopefully for the next game he's going to be available."

• Nuno was reluctant to give a timeframe for Gibbs-White's return: "He went out with a lot of pain [against Chelsea] and is still recovering. He's getting much better, but it's still going to take some time. It's always a day-by-day assessment with the medical department and the player. For now, he's not available against Crystal Palace."

• Nuno assured that Nigerians Ola Aina and Taiwo Awoniyi are back to normal after the incident on the international break: "As soon as it happened, the club reached them and tried to see what was going on. It was a mess. They arrived a couple of days ago and are working normally. They have overcome that. It was an incident and it's not more important than that."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray believes the £750,000 fine by the Football Association for a social media post after last season's defeat at Everton is a statement sum to warn other clubs off doing the same.

The FA called the post an "attack on the integrity of a match official on an unparalleled scale", but Forest said they would appeal against what they described as a "disproportionate" fine.

"It is a lot of money and it is clearly a message to show that the FA don't want other clubs doing the same," said Fray on the latest episode of the Shut Up And Show More Football podcast.

"Forest are sticking to their guns with the fact the tweet is still there for a start, and they are appealing to try to at least get the fine reduced in value.

"We will see what happens as that appeal goes on, but given the size of the fine and Forest's stance on it, I can see why they have opted to appeal.

"This has dragged on now for a long, long time, which emphasises the importance of it to the FA and the Premier League. Perhaps Forest are being perceived as a rebel club or rebel city and the big fine is their attempt to quash that."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Image source, Opta

After the October international break, the Opta supercomputer has updated its projected final Premier League table.

It is only seven matches into the campaign so much can still change, but the season is beginning to take shape. The supercomputer simulates thousands of seasons and takes the percentage each side finishes in each league position.

After a strong start under Enzo Maresca, Chelsea's chances of finishing fourth have increased from 19.5% to 37.1%.

Newcastle are second favourites for fourth spot at 15.1% - down slightly from 17.5% at the start of the campaign - followed by Tottenham at 14% which is up slightly from 11.6% before a ball was kicked.

Aston Villa's continued good form has seen their probability of finishing fourth go from 5.6% to 13.2%, with their most likely finish now fifth at 18.1%. Before the start of the season it was seventh or eighth, both at 11.1%.

Manchester United's poor start is reflected in their chance of finishing fourth dropping from 12.9% to just 2.1%.

On the latest episode on BBC Radio Nottingham's Shut Up And Show More Football podcast, David Jackson and Colin Fray discuss the £750,000 fine imposed on Nottingham Forest for a social media post after last season's defeat at Everton, plus they discuss what is required for Forest to end their wait for a home victory this season.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

He's the third-quickest player in the Premier League this season, and he plays for Forest.

He's also sprinted more than anyone else in Nuno Espirito Santo's side.

But do you know who it is?

Find out here